5 Tips for a Successful Semester

There is one universal truth that we will all experience throughout our college career: Life can be stressful. Especially with an average of 15-someodd units, a job, and trying to balance a social life on top of all that! From experience, this can definitely get a bit hectic. So here are some small tips that can help make for a happier, more productive and less stressful semester.

1. Find a creative outlet. You need some way to get your mind off of school every now and again. Find something that makes you happy, makes you laugh, or just take a deep breath. For some it is art, for others it could be journaling, or even meditating. For me, it is either curling up in my blanket and reading, or writing this blog. Find something that gets your mind completely away from what is stressing you out.

2. Get up, get out, get moving! Exercise and being outdoors is such a great way to relax your mind and help you refocus. You could try working out in the on-campus gym, or if that isn’t your scene, work out along with YouTube exercise Gu-Ru’s. Even if it is just taking a walk around the dorms when you feel like your eyes start going cross-eyed from studying haha. Do something to get the blood pumping and the endorphins flowing. In the words of Elle Woods (Legally Blonde actually does teach life/college lessons)

3. Plan Ahead! I did a whole post on time-management, IT IS ESSENTIAL PEOPLE! There is nothing that screams “stressed” more than not being sure what you need to do, forgetting deadlines, or cramming last minute because you didn’t make time. Save yourself a lot of trouble by just planning ahead and taking a few minutes at the beginning of each day, or just every week to make a study schedule or plan of attack.
                    

4. Get enough Z’s. I know personally one thing that can always make for a less than fun morning, or day, is when I am constantly yawning and counting down the minutes to when I can return to bed and go to sleep. So make sure you take enough time to get a good 8-10 hours of sleep each night. There are so many reasons why sleep is important, your health, being on top of your game and improving your retention, to name a few. So make sure you make sleep a priority. All-nighters don’t have to be an essential part of college, make them a rarity.

5. Remember that you need to put yourself first. (This is for all aspects of your life.) I met a lot of people who don’t remember that partying and hanging out all the time aren’t the most important things. While social interaction and being with friends is important, you need to prioritize and remember that partying vs. studying for an exam or doing your homework should be a no-brainer. Or, most commonly, your health. You just overall need to make sure that in the end you are acting in a way that will be beneficial for you in the long run, not just “fun” in the moment. I know I sound like a parent but this is something I have had to learn as well. Sometimes you have to make the less fun choices. As callous as it sounds, you will have to push distractions, and sometimes people, out of your path to success.

                             

I hope these tips helped a bit, and as always, good luck.

<3 Kimmie

   

Where Was I on September 11th, 2000

In all honesty, I really don't remember most of the details of where I was because I was only six at the time.

So here are the few details that I do remember:
I remember my mom and dad watching the story on the news before they went to work and dropped me and my sister school.

I remember is being at school and sitting in class. I remember the principle coming in over the intercom and saying the towers had fallen and we needed to have a moment of silence. (I think we watched President Bush's address.)

I remember that my mom had to work that whole weekend because she works at a travel company and had to reroute flights and tours.

I remember my mom and dad calling our east coast family, even though they were in Kentucky and Florida, we still wanted to know they were ok and talk to them about the tragety.

I remember not really understanding what had happend, I just remember knowing that it was bad and that it was a sad day.
It is hard to believe that it has been 13 years since that dreadful day. (Also hard to believe that I am 19! But that is digressing). I know that so many people's lives were forever changed by that day and that it is a day we will never forget. It has shaped the way our country, and others involved, to this day. I hope some day the war that started that day will come to an end, but I don't know when that will be.

Money Talks - Budgeting Tips for Students

Growing up, our parents are always talking to us about budgeting, trying to instil the habit in our lives of saving and sticking to a strict breakdown. Most of us don’t really give budgeting much thought during our adolescent years, however, when entering the college/grown-up world, it becomes a necessity. So here are some tips to get you going and figure out how to master at least this aspect of adulthood!

First step, write down all your reoccurring monthly expenses, the huge blocks that you know you have to pay regularly (ex. Tuition payments, car payments, insurance, gym membership, subscriptions, etc.) By mapping out these regular expenses you can see where your money is going, where you have spending room and/or what items you could cut out.

Now that you have your regular spending blocks set aside, think about how much you spend on other stuff such as gas, food, personal items, etc. These are the categories that fluctuate each month and where it is really easy to spend above your means. One thing I like to do is establish categories (gas, food, personal expenses, etc.) and then look at how much I spend on average and try to find a balance.

Take advantage of online tools and apps. The one that I personally swear by is Mint.com (they have the app for both Android and iPhone). They track your spending, allow you to set budgets and track it for you, and so many other features. For a busy college student trying to manage their own expenses, this is a heaven sent. It is definitely worth checking out to help keep track of expenses.

SAVE, SAVE, SAVE! I can’t stress how important it is to not spend outside your means or just blow all your money. Focus on the stuff you need to pay first, then look at the money you have left, put some of it into savings and you can spend the rest. You always want to have extra money in case or unexpected emergencies or expenses.

The hardest part about a budget is sticking to it. So until the habit develops you really need to watch your spending. One thing that helps me is I have my boyfriend by my budget inforcer, he will even listen to me talk about how there is something I want to buy and will remind me if I have the budget for it or not (then listen to me complain if I don’t LOL!).

Side tips, one way I made extra money was from being a note taker for the disability center. At Concordia they paid me $20 a unit for the classes I took notes for and all I had to do was take clean and decent notes then go to the office and photo copy them. Done. Also, on campus jobs are great because they will work around your schedule more so than most part time jobs.

For more budgeting tips, Mint.com has a blog, newsletters and advice forums and two webpages I went to were Yahoo Finance and Debt.org.

Hope these tips helped and, as always, good luck! <3 Kimmie

Packing Tips for Back to School!

Hey everyone, it’s that time of year again! And therefor, time to bring back, drumroll please, COLLEGE SURVIVAL GUIDE!!!

Now that the school year is ramping up again, as promised, I am starting to write my survival guide posts. I figure what better way to start off than with a few tips for packing for school.

Photo Credit

Many of us are prone to over packing, especially if you are a freshman who’s unsure of what to bring. It’s easy to get sucked into the pre-made lists from big names like Bed, Bath and Beyond and packed full of items that we “need” that in all honesty you really don’t. So here are some key tips on packing for college:

- Sit down and actually make a list. Start by writing down everything you think you need to take, just write down all the things that come to mind. Then, once you are finished, go back through your list and start taking off items that aren’t really necessary. If you have trouble doing this, ask a friend to look over the list. Take into consideration the weather and size of your dorm room.

- Don’t freak out if you forget something. Trust me, this isn’t as big of a deal as we make it out to be. Chances are you can always have it mailed to you or, if you live not too far from home, you could see your parents over the weekend and have them bring it with them. Almost everything can be fixed.

- Don’t take your whole closet with you! I know I touched on this above but you have to resist the urge to over pack because in the end it just makes your life more difficult.

Now that you know what you are going to bring, let’s get packing!

- Pack your essentials first! This is something you should always do, because once you have all the essentials ready to go you can see how much room you have for misc items that you want to bring.

- Pack accordingly. Again, take into consideration the environment you will be living in. Always make sure to bring your casual, everyday clothes, but you should always have at least one professional outfit in case of interviews and at least one set of nice clothes for parties and events.

- Don’t wait until the night before. This is the most age old packing tip and that is because it really is a huge help. Waiting till the night before increases your chances of forgetting items and decreases chances of actually trying to make this an organized and successful endeavor, trust me on this one!

- Roll, don’t fold. Rolling your clothes helps squeeze more of your clothes into your suitcases/bags and maximize your space. I do this even at home. Never forget, in college, space is like gold.

- Double bag your toiletries. Anything that might leak you should take this extra step to protect the rest of your items. If you have a waterproof case, great, but still bag up the stuff inside in a ziplock.

Make the most of what you have! Try packing your sheets and bedding inside your pillowcases, this way any bedding sets you have are always kept together and it won’t take up valuable space in your suitcase/dorm. Pack your bags in other bags. If you have large tote bags, use them to your advantage by packing smaller items like your make up bag (with the make up in it), shoes, or any other bags and small items inside.

- Don’t ditch the hanger. Another example is to leave your clothes on the hangers and just use trash bags as garment bags to keep your clothes safe and organized so they can go straight into your new closet.

For all those out there who are flying: make sure to weigh your luggage before you leave. You don’t want to get hit with baggage feas!

For some more great college tips check out one of my favorite college blogs CollegeFashion.net and there advice posts here, here and here.

I wish you all safe travels and good luck going back to school!

<3 Kimmie

Fun things/Throwback Thursday

Here is a really random mix up post of things I thought were awesome recently as well as a throwback picture. Hope you enjoy because TOMORROW's FRIDAY!

I hope this makes you laugh

This awesome Breakfast Club, then and now blog!

These amazing gender-bender Nightmare Before Christmas characters

The TV-show I have been binge watching (Big Bang Theory)

Favorite Movie I watched lately/adorable meme from it (Guardians of the Galaxy)

And now for the throwback! 

Here is back to when I had by hair brown. This was the first time I had ever had my hair professionally died back to a normal color from red. This was just me and my friend Katie being goofie after a Job's Daughter's reception.

12 Summer/Beach Essentials

Summer is officially in full swing! The sun is shining, the air is warm and the beaches are once again the go-to spot for a fun summer day. That being said, here are some essentials for when you are packing up for the beach.

Found on Etsy

So getting started, first thing needed is a large carry-all bag. First off, you are going to need something to carry all your stuff around. Find a bag that fits your personality and is big enough to fit all of your items.

Sunscreen! This is like the beach essential! You should never spend hours in the sun without any protection. So, how much SPF you should be wearing? "The American Academy of Dermatology recommends that everyone apply a sunscreen with an SPF30 every day, and an SPF50 before participating in outdoor activities."

Water bottle and snacks. This is a must to keep you from getting dehydrated when you are in the sun and salt water and you should be eating regularly to avoid fatigue and getting heat exhaustion.

Found on AmazonSunglasses. Gotta protect those peepers! I usually take a cheap pair that you get at any drug store or the 99cent store.

Reading Material. I am the kind of girl who loves to flop down on my towel with a good book. I generally have my Kindle or some book with me everywhere I go. There are so many summer reading lists that bloggers put together, you are sure to find one that fits you. For reading list examples, try here and here, or even here.

Flip Flops. What is the beach without flip-flops? They are easy to wear in sand and around the area and plus, you don’ have to worry about lacing up tennis shoes and worrying about getting sand inside five seconds later.

A summer hat. Whether you are into floppy wide brimmed hats or are just fine with a baseball cap, you should find a hat that can keep sun off your face and neck. (as cheesy as it sounds, you can always take a bandana and have the tail end sticking out of your hat to protect your neck.

Check out at Target.

Beach Towel. Well I guess it is called a beach towel for a reason lol. I love all the fun designs you can get on a beach towel, plus they are so oversized you know that you can lay on one and it will pretty much match the length of your body. (Well I’m short so it works for me)

Waterproof Pouch. This is a must have if you are going to bring electronics to the beach! It will keep all your valuable electronics safe from water damage while you are out having fun. Life hack: sometimes I will just use a Ziploc bag.

Photo credit: here.

Wristlet. This will keep all your money safe and in one place rather than rolling around at the bottom of your bag. A lot of stores have really cute wristlets for cheap.

Leave in conditioner/detangler. Moisturizer.

After-sun moisturizer/Leave-in Conditioner. After laying about in the sun and getting in and out of the water all day the sun and salt-water can seriously dry out your skin and hair. These will put the moisture back, revitalize your skin and hair and a lot of after-sun moisturizers can help lengthen the life of your tan.

Tunes. You can’t forget some awesome beach music. Whether it is just you or a couple friends with a portable speaker it is fun to have a soundtrack to your day.

What are some of your summer essentials! I hope you all are having a wonderful summer!

Friday Favorites - Makeup Edition

So I have seen a lot of people do *Insert day of the week here* favorites posts and I thought it would be fun to try. So I just randomly decided to toss up a few of my favorite makeup products this summer. Hope you enjoy!

Favorite Foundation: Maybelline Dream Smooth Mousse. This foundation is really smooth and creamy and applys like a dream. Though during the summer you will want to use either a primer or powder.

(photo credit)

Favorite BB Cream: Maybelline Dream Fresh BB 8-in-1. I love this BB cream because it hydrates and protects my skin with SPF 30. It definitely smooths out the appearance of your skin. I on the days where I don't want to wear a lot of makeup I just through this on with some concealer.

Favorite Lipstick: MAC Kelly Osborn Lipstick in Strip Poker. This was a limited edition lipstick and I am so happy I snatched it up. It is a nude with a slight orangish, peach undertone but with a little lip gloss it looks gorgeous!

Favorite Mascara: CK One Mascara. I got this as my free birthday gift from Ulta and I have been loving it. It is a really natural looking mascara, doesn't clump and gives you volume to your lashes. And the brush twists for different styles, how cool is that!

Favorite New Discoveries: I recently tried three new products. MAC Fix+, MAC blush in Tenderling and Jordana Lip Liner in Cabernet. MAC's Fix+ helps set my make up and make it more natural looking.

MAC's blush in Tenderling is so natural looking and works really well with my pale skin tone.

(Photo Credit. KathleenLights rocking it! She is who I discovered it from.)

Finally the Jordana Lip Liner is a beautiful wine color for those days when you want to rock a bold, dark lip.

Hope you enjoyed this and let me know if you would like to see more favorites! <3 Kimmie